Fire Burn: Tales of Witchery

by Ken Radford

Book Overview

A collection of provocative, historically accurate tales from state and county archives and oral histories chronicles the witch trials at Salem and elsewhere. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0517093669
• ISBN13: 9780517093665
• Release Date: July 1993
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing
• Length: 207 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Exceptional collection of stories....

This is a great undiscovered book. I happened across it and was quite thrilled! Countless 14th,15th and 16th century woodcuts, some I have never seen before (and I collect them) to go along with the eerie stories. Some I have heard before, some were brand new. All in all a great book if you love folklore, old witch stories and old woodcuts.

A good introduction to the folklore of the witch trials

Since there appears to be no information about this book listed here whatsoever, I'll give you a quick rundown. Fire Burn: Tales of Witchery was compiled by Ken Radford. The dust jacket reads, "Fire Burn is a collection of tales of witchery from all over the world. The stories come from state and county archives or from the memories of those who recall characters and incidents related by their forebears. Some of the stories are based on well-recorded historical fact such as the Witches of Salem while others rely on oral history passed from parent to child through the generations. In the main the tales reflect customs and a way of life long gone but some are as recent as the 1940s showing that belief in the power of witchcraft persists to this day."The book is copiously-illustrated with period pieces, including woodcuts and black-and-white copies of appropriate paintings. The book isn't terribly scholastic, but is a good sampler of all things witchy. It includes anecdotes about particular trials, torture methodology, familiars, personal letters, and assorted folklore. If you are looking for some general information on the burning times, this book is an excellent starting point. If you're looking for sociological/historical theories, you should look somewhere else.